Which neurocritical care skills support daily work in general critically ill patients?

Abstract

Intensive Care Medicine is a relatively new discipline that now deals with increasingly complex patients. Aside from the various specificities of the Intensive Care Unit, there are transversal skills that can aid in the care of critically ill patients. Some neurocritical care tools, in particular, deserve adequate dissemination because they have the potential to be useful for a variety of purposes. This manuscript discusses specific indications for electroencephalographic monitoring systems, the use of ultrasonography to measure the diameter of the optic nerve, and, finally, the use of transcranial Doppler. The last two are for the diagnosis or suspicion of intracranial hypertension. Multidisciplinarity and the culture of “patient-centered approach to care” are non-technical skills that are indispensable for quality personalized medicine.

Keywords

• Neurocritical
• pupillometry
• optic nerve sheath diameter
• transcranial doppler
• electroencephalogram